Though, I'm also concerned about the bit in his mouth. It looks like a tom thumb to me, which contrary to what you may read is not a snaffle nor a "colt breaking bit" unless you take the breaking part literally. I'd strongly advise a basic snaffle, or you're likely to end up with an extremely confused and frustrated youngster.

Well everyone does things differently. I didn't have an o ring snaffle. I only have used tom thumbs on my horses, granted they were already broke when I bought them. I just used the one I had to get him used to a bit in his mouth. My neighbor also trains horses and I asked him if I needed an o ring snaffle and he said that if he is responding well to that bit then no he didn't think it would be a problem. I have been riding him in a bosal though and he is doing quite well, I was just trying him out with that bit and he seemed to understand what I was asking from him.

Though, I'm also concerned about the bit in his mouth. It looks like a tom thumb to me, which contrary to what you may read is not a snaffle nor a "colt breaking bit" unless you take the breaking part literally. I'd strongly advise a basic snaffle, or you're likely to end up with an extremely confused and frustrated youngster.

This was my first thought as well.

Glad you had a first good ride, but I'm sorry, the bit kind of freaks me out.

Well everyone does things differently. I didn't have an o ring snaffle. I only have used tom thumbs on my horses, granted they were already broke when I bought them. I just used the one I had to get him used to a bit in his mouth. My neighbor also trains horses and I asked him if I needed an o ring snaffle and he said that if he is responding well to that bit then no he didn't think it would be a problem. I have been riding him in a bosal though and he is doing quite well, I was just trying him out with that bit and he seemed to understand what I was asking from him.

The problem is, unless the horse has been trained to neck rein, and is very light on the snaffle already, you shouldn't be using a curb in him.

For direct rein pressure, you will want to get rid of that Tom Thumb bit, and put him in a regular type of ring snaffle; Tom Thumbs are for horses who already understand rein pressure, and neck reining...these are not a bit for a green horse. ;)

That said, getting on for the first time IS a great feeling! Congrats on getting him this far.

"The ideal horseman has the courage of a lion, the patience of a saint, and the hands of a woman..."

It looks as though you,ve got your self a nice trusting horse.
Try to work out for yourself what those ears are saying to you.
One of them at least is saying : Oi Mum what are you doing up there?

Every day 15 minutes.

Get a friend to walk with you in the pen -as you give the cue to halt, and say "halt" then get you friend to halt.
Do the same for "whoa". "Trot" "Walk On"
He trusts you, now he has to understand what you are asking of him.

And lots of walking in hand in the pen and later out on the lanes, with you down on the ground at his head. Use a training halter and wear boots.
You need to obtain a light touch response - you just hint and he should do it.

As the others have said - protect his mouth - a snaffle would be better at this stage. He isn't going far in a round pen - is he?

Enjoy and take your time. He has to learn to carry you - he has to rebalance himself for your weight. Nothing fast. nothing fancy, keep it slow.

Very nice to see.

Barry G

PS Wear a safety hat - how would he feel if his mum banged her head and it was his fault.?

The problem is, unless the horse has been trained to neck rein, and is very light on the snaffle already, you shouldn't be using a curb in him.

Yes I agree. We're not trying to attack you here, but that is a rather strong bit to start off with. It's fine if you move up to it after the horse is trained to neck rein but right off the bat you may confuse him and that will lead to problems later on.

Thanks for the opinions and suggestions. As I had said previously, I have been riding him in a BOSAL. That was the first time I had used a bit, just wanted to see how he would respond. I do have an O ring snaffle now thanks to my friend for letting me borrow it. However he is doing just fine in a bosal. Knows whoa and walk on. The roundpen is about 50 ft in diamter for those who were asking.

Also, to add to the WHY it's not a good idea to break a horse in a curb bit is that they are NOT very good bits for two handed and directional steering as they put a lot of pressure in not very specific areas of the mouth. A nice snaffle is the best way to teach a baby steering and you know that for every inch in length the curb is it multiplies the pressure you put onto the reins. Not a good thing for a youngster. You seem to have him really well trained and desensitized but don't ruin all your good, hard work with something as silly as a bit!! Also, when you ride a baby make sure you keep your position really solid with a nice straight line from your head to hip to heel. I would suggest maybe shortening your stirrups so you can have a nice deep natural seat instead of falling forward and letting your lower leg swing. It will really help him understand what you're asking him to do and let you put aids on him much faster. Keep up the good work though he's a cutie!

Register Now

In order to be able to post messages on the The Horse Forum forums, you must first register.

Already have a Horse Forum account?
Members are allowed only one account per person at the Horse Forum, so if you've made an account here in the past you'll need to continue using that account. Please do not create a new account or you may lose access to the Horse Forum. If you need help recovering your existing account, please Contact Us. We'll be glad to help!

New to the Horse Forum?Please choose a username you will be satisfied with using for the duration of your membership at the Horse Forum. We do not change members' usernames upon request because that would make it difficult for everyone to keep track of who is who on the forum. For that reason, please do not incorporate your horse's name into your username so that you are not stuck with a username related to a horse you may no longer have some day, or use any other username you may no longer identify with or care for in the future.

User Name:

Password

Please enter a password for your user account. Note that passwords are case-sensitive.

Password:

Confirm Password:

Email Address

Please enter a valid email address for yourself.

Email Address:

OR

Log-in

User Name

Password

Remember Me?

Human Verification

In order to verify that you are a human and not a spam bot, please enter the answer into the following box below based on the instructions contained in the graphic.

Old Thread Warning

This thread is more than 90 days old. When a thread is this old, it is often better to start a new thread rather than post to it. However, If you feel you have something of value to add to this particular thread, you can do so by checking the box below before submitting your post.I am aware that this is an old thread and I want to revive it rather than starting a new thread.